TV STUDIO: AWARD PRESENTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS: SALDANHA RECEIVING AWARD: TOSTAO RECEIVING TROPHY: AUDIENCE WATCHING & APPLAUDING: TOSTAO & SALDANHA SITTING TOGETHER: CLOSE-UP OF TOSTAO'S EYES: TOSTAO SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS.




Initials LD/VS/MR/BJ


SPORT: SOCCER

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Background: EDUARDO GONCALVES DE ANDRADE - BETTER-KNOWN TO SOCCER FANS AS "TOSTAO" - WAS AWARDED BRAZIL'S "SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR" TROPHY FOR 1969, DURING A TELEVISED CEREMONY IN RIO DE JANEIRO ON THURSDAY (JANUARY 22), THREE DAYS BEFORE HIS 23RD BIRTHDAY. ALSO HONOURED ON THE SAME EVENING, WAS BRAZIL'S WORLD CUP TEAM MANAGER, JOAO SALDANHA - A FORMER TELEVISION AND RADIO CRITIC.

THE AWARDS WERE PRESENTED BY A COMMITTEE MADE UP OF RICARDO CRAVO ALVIM - DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF SIGHT AND SOUND WHO DONATED THE TROPHY: DEPUTY LEVY NEVES - SECRETARY OF TOURISM; AND ASTROGESILO DE ATHAYDE - PRESIDENT OF THE ACADEMY OF LETTERS.

JOAO SALDANHA, WHO WAS APPOINTED MANAGER OF BRAZIL'S TEAM EARLY LAST YEAR, WAS GIVEN THE "ESTACIO DE SA" TROPHY FOR THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTION TO SPORT IN 1969.

BUT THE UNDISPUTED STAR OF THE EVENING WAS TOSTAO - WHO IS THE "HEIR APPARENT" TO THE GREAT PELE IN BRAZILIAN SOCCER. THE YOUNG PLAYER - ALL 5 FT. 6 1/4 INCHES (1.68 METRES) OF HIM - WHO SCORED II GOALS IN SIX WORLD CUP QUALIFYING MATCHES, HAS BEEN OUT OF THE GAME SINCE OCTOBER, WHEN HE SUFFERED A DETACHED RETINA AND WAS SENT TO HOUSTON, TEXAS, FOR AN OPERATION. ALTHOUGH TOSTAO HAS NOT YET RECEIVED A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH FROM HIS DOCTORS, SALDANHA HAS STATED THAT HE IS GOING AHEAD WITH PLANS TO INCLUDE HIS ACE GOAL-SCORER IN THE TEAM AND WILL START TRAINING IN MARCH.

TOSTAO RETURNS TO HOUSTON ON FEBRUARY 2ND FOR A FINAL EXAMINATION, BUT REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE US DOCTORS WERE ALREADY SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS OF THE OPERATION AND SEE NO REASON WHY HE SHOULD NOT TAKE UP SOCCER AGAIN SOON.